February 1, 2012 / Commentary

In his State of the Union address, many heard echoes of the Barack Obama of old, the presidential aspirant of 2007 and 2008. Among the populist pledges rolled out in the speech was tough talk against the too-big-tofail banks that have funded hi More...

The sales tax is one of the touchiest political issues. Unlike the income or property tax, just about everybody pays it: rich and poor, resident and visitor — even the teenager who eats at McDonald’s. More...

Most parents take it for granted that when they say “ goodnight” to their teen, they can then relax themselves, maybe curl up with a good book or enjoy a movie until their child returns from being out with friends. More...

On combat patrol several years ago, a U.S. soldier suffered two attacks from improvised explosive devices in a 24-hour-period. The first one rattled him and killed his buddy. The second one blew him out of his vehicle and knocked him unconscious. More...

I hope President Barack Obama read about Maddie Parlier as he was working on his State of the Union address. Parlier is the subject of Adam Davidson’s illuminating article in the current issue of The Atlantic. More...

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Friday found that two-thirds of Americans would consider voting for a third-party presidential candidate, while 48 percent definitely wanted a third party in the race. Now what does that tell you? More...

I’ll be shocked if there’s another book this year as important as Charles Murray’s “Coming Apart.” I’ll be shocked if there’s another book that so compellingly describes the most important trends in American More...

The Associated Press reported last week that Fidel Castro, the former president of Cuba, wrote an opinion piece on a Cuban website, following a Republican Party presidential candidates’ debate in Florida, in which he argued that the “sele More...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Three family members of Maine children with epilepsy share their perspectives on what it’s like to live with someone who suffers from the disease. Lisbeth BY MARTHA MILLERLisbeth’s mother More...

In an essay, titled “Making It in America,” in the latest issue of The Atlantic, author Adam Davidson relates a joke from cotton country about just how much a modern textile mill has been automated: The average mill has only two employees More...